Futuremark launches VRMark for benchmarking VR-ready systems

Want to know if your gaming PC is suitable for high-end virtual reality applications? Look no further than VRMark, a new benchmarking suite from Futuremark that measures your system against the requirements for VR gaming.

VRMark will be familiar to those who have benchmarked their system using 3DMark, Futuremark's other popular benchmark tool. The main difference in VRMark is a minimum frame rate target for both general VR systems and the Oculus Rift's minimum hardware specification; if your PC maintains a frame rate above this target throughout the course of the test, it is deemed to have 'passed'.

The free Basic Edition of VRMark comes with one test called the Orange Room, which looks to test a system against the hardware requirements for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. As well as indicating whether the system has passed the test and met the performance requirements for VR gaming, it also produces a score similar to 3DMark.

If you spend $20 (or $15 during launch week) on the Advanced Edition, you'll get a second test called the Blue Room, which is designed to evaluate VR gaming at higher quality settings. Passing the Blue Room suggests a system is ready for more intense VR games and perhaps even the next generation of VR headsets.

All benchmark runs are performed on a standard PC monitor, however there's also an Experience mode included that supports the Rift and Vive. Entering the Experience mode allows you to explore the areas of the benchmark run and evaluate the performance of your system on a qualitative level.